With vivid historical detail and stunning emotional resonance, Diann Ducharme recounts a dramatic story of love, loss, and coming of age at a singular and rapidly changing time in one of America’s most beautiful and storied communities.

Finding herself again will be both more difficult and more natural than she imagined. Ultimately, Laura realizes the most important journey she must take is an internal one. And the tale of how she reaches that place will captivate every woman who has ever yearned for a different life.

As Tilly furiously races to keep up with—and hopefully change—her destiny, she faces the question: Which is the life she wants? The one she’s carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible?

A few days after I saw Brooke Berman‘s play Hunting and Gathering, a colleague walked into my office and handed me the front page of the Home & Garden section of the New York Times. “She should write a book,” he said, and pointed to a feature story on Brooke and her real-life adventures in real estate and the arts. Aha! This, I now knew, could be a smart, frank, lively memoir about finding the true meaning of home and realizing your dreams, perfect for my list. But was I too late?

I loved being single. But I didn’t know it at the time. During the ten years between serious relationships (aka my thirties), I thought I wanted a boyfriend. I yearned for a partner in crime, a sexy love interest, a soul mate. When I took the brave and valuable risk of loving and the love didn’t turn into a committed monogamous relationship, the sole lesson to learn was: “He’s just not that into you.” I didn’t buy it; I still don’t. I believe that the purpose of love is to transform us, to help us become more patient and more generous, and ultimately to bring us closer to our most authentic selves.

Working on this book was a unique and challenging experience. As a journalist covering the Middle East, I have reported on many difficult situations. In Iraq, I have interviewed widows of men killed by death squads. In Iran, I have met female dissidents locked up in jail, in solitary confinement for several months. In Afghanistan, I have shared tales of female students who stopped going to school after it was attacked by presumed terrorists. But interviewing and listening to Nujood was the most challenging project.

I was astonished to learn not only that there is wine being made in Missouri, but that Missouri was the epicenter of American wine more than a century ago — the Napa Valley of the 19th century, with more than a hundred wineries. It was a groundbreaking moment, for sure. The Norton’s success — it was pronounced one of the great red wines of the world at a world’s fair in Vienna, and won another big medal five years later, in Paris — occurred in the 1870s.

Alice Hoffman is a favorite among book groups and booksellers alike, and it’s a real treat to listen to her at one of her readings. If you’re not able to see her live, the next best thing is to listen to her read via podcast. Listen to Alice Hoffman read from The Story Sisters. Alice loves hearing from her readers! Leave a comment on Alice Hoffman’s guest book and join the conversation surrounding her remarkable work. It’s always fun to hear what other readers are saying, whether it’s about an author you haven’t read yet or a beloved favorite. Enjoy the conversation!